Heart Nonsense
by Tallemy
Summary: The famous coffee of Yongen changes the hearts of people. Or at least, that's what the urban legends say. Akechi Goro is not sure about that rumour, and honestly, couldn't care less, but even without the miracle coffee he knows that Leblanc is a place where he can hide away from the world and forget about his life. [ShuAke]
1. Chapter 1

They say that there is a rundown café in Yongen-Jaya where the famous Miracle Maker creates miracles through coffees and cocoas, changing the hearts of people as they drink. Nobody knows the secret behind the miracles. If you are a regular with some heavy burden weighing you down, the barista will always know what to get you. That drink will make you see life in a completely new colour and while it won't make your problems disappear, you will know what to do about them. The catch is, you can't get this miracle coffee as a regular order. It appears in the right time, when you need it the most and for free, too.

This rumoured drink made the cafè quite famous among regulars, but newcomers, who heard about it in urban legends often disappeared after a few visits or just dropped in for special occasions, never really reaching the title of a regular. Even if the wanted to get that Miracle Coffee, the location required way too much time as travelling there could take an hour at best. This alone disheartened them from visiting the place more than once. Though, the famed barista of Leblanc, Kurusu Akira didn't mind this a bit. Becoming popular would only mean more work and that he couldn't focus on the individuals, who visited him on a daily weekly basis.

Furthermore, considering the newest visitor of Leblanc, he couldn't afford slacking off right now.

Akechi Goro came into his life on a cold day at the end of March. Akira could clearly see that the boy, despite the rather warm-looking trench coat, was shivering. His cheeks and nose were red from the cold wind. However, his tense shoulders seemed to thaw out as soon as he sat down in one of the booths and with great curiosity, started reading through the list of beverages the café had to offer. Either he didn't want to greet the barista or simply forgot in his frozen state.

From the youth's looks, the serious expression he wore from the moment he entered the place, Akira had already knew that he will probably order some espresso-based coffee. People like him tend to feign seriousness, after all. They often don't even like the pitch black liquid, but keeping their mask in place, they drink it, hating every bitter drop of it.

Then they sigh.

It looks like they enjoyed their drink, but in reality they are just happy that they managed to keep up their act.

To his surprise, the process of choosing took some time, he had to make four cups of coffees, and by the time his gaze wandered back to the booth, the newcomer already got rid of his beige coat. Akira couldn't help but smile at the determination what clouded the boy's face as he kept turning the pages of the menu back and forth. Then, he closed the small notebook shaped menu at once, looked at the ceiling, then at Akira, then reopened it again.

However, when the brunet walked over to the counter and made his order that surprised even the young barista.

"Have you decided?"

"Yes. I think I did manage to find something in the end..." a faint smile crept its way to the stranger's face. "Can you brew sweet ginger coffee, please? It has piqued my interest and I'm rather curious about it."

Akira couldn't help but stare at him with slight disbelief. Probably for the first time since he started working at Leblanc a stranger managed to contradict his interpretation.

"O-of course. Something else, perhaps?"

"Have I said something weird? You look confused, betrayed, even."

Great. This is his chance to start some kind of conversation with this stranger. This could help him.

"No. Not at all. I just rarely get to brew that coffee," he gave the youth a small, apologetic smile. "You just surprised me with you order. That's all."

It was a half-lie. One of the many harmless fibs, which he made up on the spot whenever he was confronted by a situation above his league. Actually, that popularity of that drink resurfaces every autumn, though nobody would think about ordering them past December. _"It has that December-ish Christmasy taste._ " Futaba, his friend, once explained to him.

And there, he saw it. The small glint of curiosity in those brown eyes.

"Interesting. Would that make me one of a kind then?" he supposed, touching his chin with his gloved fingers.

"Absolutely." He quickly turned away, pretending to be overly occupied by the art of coffee. He decided it was a now or never chance to get to know this peculiar stranger a bit more. "Is this your first time in Yongen?"

The boy was seemingly taken aback. He hesitated and averted his gaze before answering. "Well, kind of. Rather, my first time in this part of Yongen-Jaya."

"Oh. So that means, you _do_ live around here."

"Okay. Wait."

Suddenly, the youth walked back to his booth. At first, Akira thought he had said something weird or acted overly familiar and scared him away. But soon, a sense of relief came over him when he saw the boy collecting his belongings; the trench coat and a brown bag. When he returned he took a seat on the bar stool in front of Akira and arranged his stuff on the one next to him.

"Sorry. It's easier to talk when I don't have to constantly glance at bag." then once he realized what he'd just implied, he quickly added "I-It's not like this place looks _unsafe_. But better safe than sorry."

"It's all right. I understand," he nodded, and then turned back to the cup of coffee in front of him adding ginger, then milk while he was at it. "Here." He put the cup down in front of the boy. "So, back to the question; do you live around here?"

"Hm..." the youth looked up from his coffee. " …Yes. Well, actually I live in the neighbouring district. Few stops away from here... but I started working at the local police office about a week ago."

"Then welcome to Yongen-jaya, where nothing ever happens!" Akira smiled at him proudly.

"It's not something you should be saying to a police inspector. A too calm district might make me go to Shibuya instead." The boy chuckled, then took a sip from his drink.

Akira expected some kind of flattering. _"This coffee was better than I expected"_ or something along the lines, but the boy only sat there, staring holes into the brown liquid. Lost in thought, he raised the cup to his lips again. He must've been one of those people who tell no opinions when they like something and solve everything with one single "It's good" when someone does ask for a rating.

Furrowed brows and a troubled expression accompanied his obviously fake smile.

"Is everything okay?" Akira inquired after several minutes of silence. The brunet yelped. Probably the barista's voice brought him out of the daydream.

"Ah, sorry. I-I didn't intend to be rude."

"Long day?"

"Just longer than necessary." The stranger corrected Akira with a tired smile. It was one of those reassuring kind of fake smiles.

"In this case, you are always welcomed here for a cup of coffee. Or two." he added.

"If every cup of coffee will be this pleasant, then I'm looking forward coming here more often."

"In that case, the name is Kurusu Akira. The one and only barista of this café, 'cept for the the boss of course."

The stranger finished his coffee before looking around as if he was searching his surroundings for someone.

"Akechi Goro." he introduced himself, then continued in a much softer tone, following Akira's example. "Ex-detective prince. Nowadays nobody special."

His voice was barely audible but Akira still made out a myriad of emotions hidden behind his words. Emotions he wished to explore more. To understand and to use them.

It was the clash of two contradictory thoughts, of selflessness and selfishness.

Akechi Goro caught his attention and did not release it. However, he will need more than one miracle in the youth's life if he wants to replace that fake smile of his.

Fortunately for him, Akira was always up to these kind of challenges.

A shiver ran down his spine after he stepped out to the cold air. The day has already turned into night and the streetlamps weakly lighted his way as he walked through the narrow streets.

As he went forward, he felt that all the warmth had left his body. Reverting back to his everyday self was everything but comfortable. However the taste of ginger and cinnamon still lingered in his mouth and reminded him that the little miracle of the café had indeed happened.

Come to think of it, that was actually one of the best things that happened to him lately.

"Leblanc…" Akechi made a quick mental note to return here whenever his time allowed. He wasn't so keen on returning to his apartment sooner than it was necessary.

To set his plan into motion he decided to stop by a used bookstore on his way home. He can't bother the barista all the time, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

The days after that were about Akira trying to find some kind of system in Goro's coffee orders.

The likes and dislikes often told more about a person than a thousand words long essay. This was Akira's pathology.

It also helped him uncover some hidden characteristics. Sometimes a girl who looked ordinary and led an average life would sit on the train reading about gruesome murders and twisted fantasies. But a boy who looked like your typical school bully would walk into the café holding a classic children's book about the galactic railroad. Looks and lifestyle had nothing to do with someone's inner, real self.

So obviously, he tried to understand Goro from this viewpoint. First, he started with looks.

On a closer inspection, the youth was sickly pale. And unlike a person who acquired, or rather, lost their colours due to not spending enough time under the sun, the inspector even managed to get some dark circles under his eyes. A sign of fatigue. So, this kind of paleness had to have a connection to the boy's psyche and his tendency to bottle up everything.

Goro mostly gave him fake smiles and certainly not because Akira irritated him. If that was the case he wouldn't visit Leblanc almost every night only to sit at the counter and talk t him. No. The fakery was mostly for himself and it served as a lock to keep his lies in check. As sad as that can be, Goro was constantly fooling himself.

These smiles served as glue on his broken mask. Akira had seen similar people a lot, especially around spring and when life-turning events took place in people's lives. He often called them dishonest liars. While everyone had their own reasons to lie or fib, these kinds of liars not only lied to their environment, but to themselves. As they got deeper and deeper into the spiral of life, they started to get tangled of in the fake image they created. However, the moment they were forced to rip the mask off and confess their lies or face the consequences, the glue burned their skin. Usually they broke like fragile porcelain dolls under the weight of lies.

Since Goro was a serious case of a dishonest liar, Akira had to be careful so he wouldn't hurt him. Sadly, his miracle didn't affect people who lied to themselves. He needed to get off that mask of lies first.

But even after he managed to solve one side of the puzzle he had to realize that, Akechi Goro was an unpredictable entity. The man of contradictions.

Even Akira's first guess about Goro liking the bitter taste of espresso was soon thrown into the trash. On a night, when he brought it up after seeing the boy's tired eyes. The young inspector said "Please, don't ever recommend me something so bitter."

Akira took this request to heart. Ever since that incident whenever Goro was at loss on what to drink, he recommended something sweet. It did the trick, but even after a week, he never revealed the root of his dislike for the bitter taste.

The third realization regarding Goro came when books appeared next to his orders. Psychological, crime, non-fiction. Akira had to wonder if he ever read lighter books or thinking about crime and justice was all he ever did.

"You looked deep in thought yesterday when you've read that book." he noted when Goro decided to sit on the barstool, instead of his regular booth. This time, he ordered a simple cappuccino.

The inspector looked puzzled for a moment.

"Really? I haven't even noticed."

"That's what so great about reading. I think it's good that a book can catch your attention. Doesn't this means, that you have strong focus?"

"I'm honestly not sure." Goro quickly escaped Akira's curious eyes by looking at his coffee. "I always thought it was because I've loved escapism these books provided. I can hop into a completely different world, without ever thinking about real life. I'm not sure if it's related to me being focused."

"Hmhm." Akira nodded. "So another escapist, huh? Any favourite genres, since we are at it?"

Probably it was just Akira's imagination, but Goro looked almost embarrassed. Definitely surprised when the barista asked him about… well… himself. The youth hesitated with his answer.

"Uh. Usually, I can get into mystery and crime novels. But I enjoy books about… well…topics that make me think? Yeah, thinking! That's it. I love solving the cases before the main character does...It helped me a lot back in the days." Goro heaved a sigh.

And Akira gained another piece of the puzzle called Akechi Goro. He carefully put it next to the youth's other pieces and started thinking about the connection. In the end he got to a shocking conclusion which lingered in the back of his mind for about a week now.

The inspector was not only broken. He was shattered into million pieces, then put back together by an unknown force. The gloomy eyes, unkempt hair, the tired and fake smiles and the tiny little hints gave him away. Was his heart still intact?

Akira decided to go deeper, finding the key pieces for the full picture.

"Healthy escapism is great, but it can also poison a person if they start living for it."

"In my opinion, some people only have escapism to live for." Goro said with furrowed brows. "If this were some kind of fantasy-world I would understand that escapism is bad, but then again, _as_ an inspector, I can see why some people choose that over developing their lives and themselves. Sometimes the harshness of real life is unfit for a human soul."

 _Certainly,_ Goro had this way of thinking because of his job.

Akira felt a twinge of guilt for bringing up a topic like this. He ventured into a dangerous territory. He wanted to make a tricky comeback, but in the end all he could say was:

"That's an interesting point of view."

"Not scary or weird?" he looked surprised.

"You are asking a barista out of all people. I won't… I can't judge you for preferring a fantasy. Sometimes the customers, who sit right where you do, bring up heavier topics than mere escapism."

"What do you mean?" Goro asked. "I always thought baristas only had to deal with flirts and people like me."

"Hey, I love people like you! You're one of the many reasons I still work here." He said shamelessly. Goro, not knowing where to look or how to react just sipped at his coffee. "Suicidal thoughts, abuse, violent thoughts, cheatings… Despite living a boring life, I had to face many of those topics because I'm a barista."

He regretted mentioning this, but fortunately Goro decided to focus on a different meaning this time. Or so it seemed.

"So, does that mean that you offer counselling?"

Akira laughed heartily at that.

"Depends on who wants my help. If it's you, I'll gladly give you my mail address too. You could call me to talk about your day and all. I would lend you an ear while thinking about what coffee will fit your mood tomorrow. I could be your district barista."

"That's nice of you, Mr. Miracle Barista, but I don't think I'm in need of counselling and using you as my emotional garbage can would make me feel awful. What if I ruin the coffee you make? Also, you would get bored of me constantly complaining about paperwork, because believe me, that's what I'd do."

"Is that a challenge, Akechi? Want to see if I can listen to you complain?" Akira teased him with a smile, and pulled out a phone from his jeans pocket. His glasses reflected Goro's terrified expression.

The youth just sat there, completely dumbfounded, before lifting his gloved hand to his face.

"I see. I just can't win against you… Too bad, I left my phone at home, so maybe next time." He gave Akira a rueful smile.

"Yes. There is always a next time."

For now Akira could let that slide. There was no reason to question Goro about his phone, which was certainly hidden in his pocket as always. He knew it well; there was no way a person like him, an inspector on top of that would leave his home without a digital collar.

Getting to know someone who wants to keep himself away from people is hard.

He could always try the other way, though. Instead of knocking on Goro's door he could invite him over to his own realm. He can't force the other, but there is nothing against nudging him a little bit.

The idea seemed brilliant. All he just needed was to…

"I'll be back in a moment," he blurted and stormed away from the counter. The steps creaked as he ran upstairs.

Goro could only blink, not understanding a single thing that was happening that evening. However, considering that Leblanc was always… a bit out of the ordinary, he just waited patiently, finishing his coffee while Akira trashed the room above him like an enraged big cat. He was pretty sure the barista either fell or managed to knock over a lamp. The noises just wouldn't cease.

After minutes of waiting, loud footsteps echoed in the café and Akira quickly returned to his place, holding a red book.

Goro prayed for his instincts to be wrong.

"I've been planning to give you this for a week now."

The book had a black cat on the cover. It was probably meant for children.

"I can't take it."

"But I want you to read it." Akira insisted, putting down the book in front of him.

"You shouldn't trust me with a book. I'll just ruin it."

Goro tried to find an easy window for escape, but arguing with Akira was like trying to push a donkey away from the middle of the road. What a stubborn kid.

However, it seemed to work because after eight tries, Goro finally gave in and took the book.

"Furigana…" he observed as he opened it.

"Don't judge it so easily."

"Right. I'll give it a shot, because it looks like you won't let me leave Leblanc if I don't take this book with me."

Akira chuckled, taking the empty cup from Goro. "I'm hundred percent sure about that."

The inspector collected his belongings and he left Leblanc after he put the red book in his bag. He made sure that the barista saw it, then left for the night.

Suddenly, the café grew quiet. Usually most of the customers already went home when Akechi Goro arrived (possible from his work) and many people preferred to get coffee in the morning rush and in the afternoon.

As he was closing the door, Akira found himself wanting to see more of that bright, but yet tiny smile. He'd greet him every evening, lend him an ear just to understand the mightiest puzzle of all.

 _I can't believe I gave him a children's book,_ he thought to himself, before locking the door. It was the whitest lie he ever told. He never planned to give him a book, let alone a book about cats learning to read.

He also never planned to seriously consider befriending Akechi Goro. But then, the subject turned into a person.

"Guess today is the day of surprises."


	3. A Solution for Miracles

It was already April when Akechi Goro has witnessed Leblanc's Miracle for the first time. He was sitting at his usual booth, revising paperwork he'd taken home with him. The deadline for the report they'd given him was due tomorrow and he wasn't so keen on having his superior shouting his head off. Goro also despised the depressing atmosphere of the office. Next to him at least four phone rang in canon, creating a brain-numbing orchestra all day long. When someone did decide to do their job and finally take the phone, the room was filled with apologies, details, questions. He looked up whenever someone uttered murder as the type of the crime, hoping that it was his time to solve the case, but quickly shooed away his newborn hope.

There was no way for a low-ranked inspector like him to work on field. All he ever did was to summarise the cases and do the paperwork for the superior officers. He'd arrived to the point where it was impossible to advance forward.

Oh, and he refilled the coffee machine now and then. His co-workers always found complaining more important than doing something for the cause. In the end, they would probably refill the machine with coffee beans, but Goro wanted to add this to his list of jobs important around the office.

Compared to that, sitting at Leblanc and listening to the silence was a blessing and he could get through work almost effortlessly, or so he felt. He smiled at the thought how even work felt relaxing. Also, there was Kurusu Akira, the barista, whose presence just made everything better. Goro was almost disappointed whenever he met the café's owner, because those days were always strangely quiet. But then again, it would've been foolish to think that Kurusu would spend his life working.

But on a certain day, he managed to catch him along with a glimpse of a miracle.

It was late afternoon when a girl walked in. Shoulder length brown hair, and gloomy eyes. She wore school uniform, and black loafers. She sat in front of Kurusu not ordering anything for a while.

"Kurusu-kun…" she started, hanging her head down as if she was still searching for the words she wished to share with him.

To Akechi's surprise the barista had everything under control and took control over the writhing conversation.

"The entrance exams are nearing, right?"

The girl only nodded.

"But I still haven't decided on how to continue. I can't imagine myself in college."

Akechi pretended to work on his reports but from time and time again glanced at the two. He wondered if Kurusu acted like this with everyone. Deep down, he wished he was an exception.

The conversation next to him continued onward… The negative emotions slowly got suffocating, even for Goro who had nothing to do with her problems. However, he wouldn't miss the moment when Akira walked over to the cupboard and got a glass mug.

"Why is that? You always studied hard before the exams and you passed all of them with flying colours. You certainly have the brains for college." Akira poured something into the cup before adding coffee itself or so it seemed.

"Studying is different."

"Really?" Akira raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He put the drink in front of the girl.

 _It looks magnificent,_ thought Akechi. The coffee in front of the girl had three different layers, divided into two different shades of brown with white in the middle. He had only seen something like this only in commercials and pictures so seeing it coming from Kurusu left him in awe.

It seemed to have similar effect on the girl. Goro could only see her back, but despite that, her voice reflected her feelings perfectly well.

"It's on the house." Akira reassured her with a warm smile. "For supporting the café in your highschooler years."

"Kurusu-kun…" As she tasted the drink, her words started flooding out. All the pent up feelings she held back over these months were back.

"I think I'm scared. Even if my grades are good now, I don't really have anything I could or I wanted to do. Everyone else around me acts like they have life figured out, so I thought, what a loser I am. Not even knowing what to do with my future…" she started. "But everyone tells me this is what I should be doing. Aiming higher and _high_ er. But I don't think I want that."

Akira only gave her a sympathetic smile. He didn't try to give advice to the girl or trying to help her in any way, just lent her an ear. He let the girl drink the coffee and soon, after negative emotions, her words have changed and her tone became softer.

"But being scared of the future is stupid, right?" she asked with a rueful smile. "My highschool life was really enjoyable, so I'm scared that college won't live up to my expectations. But I think deep down, I know I'd regret never trying. Maybe even if I don't end up being an author or a person who works in the literature sphere, I can use that time to get experiences and decide on what I really want to do."

She nodded to herself.

"Yes. Kurusu-kun, I know what you meant back then."

"Back then?" the barista asked, readjusting his glasses. A playful smile appeared on his lips, so he probably clearly remembered his words. Goro could only smirk at the theatrical aspects of the whole confession, but couldn't help being completely mesmerized by the sudden outburst of emotions from the girl.

"You don't remember?" the girl asked dumbfounded. "You told me, that by sitting and waiting I won't achieve anything. But when I move forward I give chance to new opportunities and I might even find the answers I seek."

"My memory is foggy, but perhaps I did say something similar to that." he wondered with a smirk.

"Well it's only important for me anyway so you are not required to recite everything you say." she said, her voice rang with disappointment before finishing her latte. And with that the miracle just disappeared, as if the colours were drained from the atmosphere. "Well, thank you, Kurusu-kun."

The barista nodded, and the girl, having her thoughts in order, left the café. Goro couldn't help but catch a glimpse of sadness in Akira's eyes.

"She won't come back." Akira answered the unasked question, then slumped down on the chair behind the counter. "They never come back."

Goro stood up and curiously went to his usually place, leaving his bag at the booth he occupied before the scene. He'd come to learn that in Leblanc due to the lack of customers around the time of his visits, there was no need to be worried about someone stealing them.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well," he began, pulling the chair closer to the inspector, so they were sitting in front of each other now. "When things like this happen, they just don't. I guess, every miracle has its price. Usually once the regular who has some serious heartache drinks the coffee I just made up on the spot, they can see a clearer picture of their problem along with their answer or a way to solve them. I can add the drink I came up with to the menu, but the regular will eventually disappear."

"Even after coming here for years?"

"Even after coming here for years." he chuckled to himself.

Goro thought about it for a while. Urban legends indeed appeared on the forums and the coffee that changes one's heart was among them, but he never believed in it. He couldn't even believe it after witnessing the effect of the said drink.

Yet, he had come to an immediate decision.

Back then, he once asked Akira something similar. His request was driven by pure hatred for the person who was connected to it. Now, he had to face a sole thought that the chance of a miracle would torture him for the days to come.

All he could do was to prevent Akira from ever bringing a miracle near him.

"Please, don't ever brew me a coffee like that."

His problems couldn't be solved by a single cup of coffee. Or even if it was possible, losing Leblanc would leave a hole in his heart he would be dying to fill and he couldn't allow that to happen.


	4. No Logic

Even after a week Goro's words still echoed in his mind. Someone, who wasn't after solutions to their own problems surprised Akira, but also terrified him. A broken person was stronger in heart than anyone … could it be? It was unthinkable. Everyone wanted inner peace or at least a little help with their daily problems.

So he decided to try something. At first, pure curiosity drove his actions and now they've certainly morphed into something more holding only positive feelings and good intention.

"I've been thinking, Akechi." He told him one day, when Goro was sitting in front of him.

"Should I be scared or deeply concerned?"

"You've earned the regular rank, but you don't want a change of heart." Akira handed him a yellow envelope. So… I want you to take this."

Goro carefully eyed the envelope. Probably trying to find out, whether or not Akira'd hidden a letter bomb within.

After making sure that he won't die from it, Goro carefully opened the envelope and found a hand made little sticker collector card.

"I already took liberties and added one for you." Akira said pointing at the tiny crow sticker. "When you collect four, you can order something free of charge. It's your barista calling card."

Goro was taken aback by the unexplained and seemingly baseless kindness, and there was also slight hesitation in his expression. "Free of miracles?"

"Absolutely." Akira nodded. "It's your order. So you get what you ordered without _any_ miracles."

"Hmm… Does that mean… if I feel awful _, truly_ awful, then I have the chance to drink something for free in order to make me feel better without risking your uncommon… talent?"

"Well, yes. I don't want you to feel awful, though," Akira scratched his chin.

"Don't worry. That's a basic mood I have for most of my days," Goro forced a smile. He tried voicing his honest feelings regarding his life, but being honest was worse than he had anticipated. However, it also felt good that he could say that out loud after years of pretending.

He didn't miss the worry that flashed through Akira's eyes, yet at the same time he was happy that the words following it were much lighter and followed their usual conversation routine.

"Should I add a morning coffee delivery option to your home or workplace, perhaps?" Akira flashed him a smile.

"That would be nice. But alas, only a futile attempt to lighten my mood." Goro chuckled. "The coupon is a nice idea I must admit. Although, I'm not sure I'll live with it..."

"It's only an option. You don't need to use it if you don't want to."

Goro hesitated but slid the paper into his wallet. One might never know, after all. Actually, he might've even accepted coffee from Akira every morning.

It would've been a weird concept, but not something he couldn't get used to.

However those mornings probably wouldn't come with their usual harmless discussions. Akira would quickly lose the perfect and balanced image of him once he saw what his real life looked like outside of Leblanc's walls.

What a hopeless liar he was.

A week has passed and Goro was already nearing his second cup of free coffee. Each time he visited, Akira asked for that damnable coupon and plastered a silly crow sticker on it. Worst is, he couldn't say no. So right now, he had eight crows singing dancing and doing all kind of embarrassingly cute things, almost as if they were inviting him to use them. He felt like a kid who got a candy for being good at kindergarten.

What's worse, even Sojiro took over the habit of giving him stickers.

Goro was bewildered when the man added another one to his growing bird collection.

He kept saying that he didn't need free coffee and that he had enough money to afford it. Or something along the lines. Every time he came up with a different excuse.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) nobody took mercy on him.

Even he couldn't have predicted the disaster that awaited him as soon, as he finished that crime novel he was reading. Children's literature.

As an adult it was hard to admit, but as a student he barely read anything written for his demographic. Probably the fact, that he never had any chance to read these kinds of books would've served as a mitigating factor, but he hated to admit it. His home never had anything suitable for children and by the time he knew how to read, Goro's mind was focused on stories with much darker themes. When he did give them a chance, he ended up envying the protagonists, so he eventually decided not to torture himself and just read summaries for his summer readings.

Sadly, what he never admitted was that it was more than just envy.

At the age of four his mother never felt the need to buy him books. She had other problems.

At the age of six his stepfather tore apart his only picture book.

After that, he gave up on childish wonders.

So it made him smile because at the age of twenty three, Akechi Goro opened a book intended for eight years olds for the first time in his life. The first thing he noticed that it had plenty of illustrations of cats. Black cats, tabby cats, calicos and grey ones. A smile appeared on his face as he started reading the silly book.

The afternoon at Leblanc was quieter than what Akira was used to. The customers kept chatting with each other and his favourite inspector buried his nose into…well, it seemed like the book he had lent him weeks ago. Akira often found him smiling whenever there were no customers at the counter and he had some minutes to catch his breath. However, as they neared the evening, each little pause showed him something different.

A capuccino. Goro had a tiny smile on his face.

A bicerin. He saw him thinking.

A chai latte. Worry clouded his face.

A fruit tea. Eyes red, he held his breath and tried not to cry.

When there were no more orders to be finished, he eagerly awaited the moment when he could slip away from behind the counter. He wanted to put Goro before work, but his sense of duty held him down.

So Akira waited, constantly glancing toward the customers. Obviously, they didn't hurry with their drinks.

 _Why would they._ Akira thought with exasperation, fingers tapping on the table.

He was ready to throw himself over the counter in the moment the last customer left the place. In his frustration he started warming milk. As if that could solve his problems.

And at first, he really had no serious goals with it, just warmed milk for the sake of doing something. Then a tiny idea appeared at the back of his mind. True kindness led his hands, trying to precisely measure the ingredients and by the time he finished, the last customer had left Leblanc. It was only him and Goro.

Akira carefully slid out of the kitchen and brought the mug toward the brunet's booth. As he placed it on the table, Goro looked at him, betrayal clearly visible on his face.

"I told you, I don't need anything miraculous," he growled.

Upon closer inspection, Akira saw the wetness on Goro's lashes and the redness of his eyes also served as tell-tale signs. The youth had been fighting with the urge to cry for about a half hour now.

"It's nothing miraculous. You can give me one of your freebie coupons and it'll look like a purchase. Or you can wait fifteen minutes until closing time, so it will be just a friend making another friend a drink... But it will go cold." he sat down next to Goro and held out his hand toward him. Reluctantly, but the inspector handed him the coupon from his wallet. Akira proudly added a tiny 'x' next to the first row.

Goro was hesitant as he pulled the mug away from the barista. Akira seemed to sense some vague suspicion coming from him, so he added:

"It's nothing special. Unless you call mixing sugar, cocoa powder and milk a miracle."

"With you everything is possible."

"Oh, you flatter me." he chuckled. "So what was it? I couldn't help but notice that something made you quite... Ruffled."

Silence joined them. Goro looked at the closed book in front of him before letting out a sigh.

"Nothing. Really. I'm just not used to something going against reason and logic."

"So, you got teary eyed." Akira added with a nod. "Right. You can tell me what made you so angry so maybe we can find logic behind it. I won't laugh at you."

"It's a children's book for…" Goro said in disbelief.

"Well, they tend to have this effect. Though, this book never struck me as a sentimental story. I can't help but be extremely curious… I wonder what caught your attention."

Goro reluctantly tasted the cocoa before deciding to share some of his experiences with Akira. The sweet taste somewhat calmed him. "It's about how easily the protagonist gave up on his old life. The entire book is about him working hard, enduring, learning, then at the end, he just leaves before completing his goal. He could've had a happy end!"

"By kicking out his little brother?" Akira raised an eyebrow. Apparently in the book, the cat got home and was confronted by his almost identical younger brother who was a year younger.

"He was a nobody to him. So why not? I'm pretty sure the girl would've welcomed him back."

"Oh, would she? I always thought the protagonist choose wisely and did what was the best for both of them on the long run. If he stayed, the girl would have to choose between him and his brother. Remember, they were only allowed to keep one pet. If his brother found out about him being the 'lost' cat, that would make him feel bad for taking his place even if it wasn't his choice."

"So he cowardly gave up on happiness." Goro told him, voice already hoarse from the wave of emotions.

"Did he? I don't think he did that," Akira told him, readjusting his glasses before taking the book from the table. Goro'd just finished the chapter he was talking about. The conclusion was still waiting for him. "Think about like this, what is true happiness for the protagonist? He gave up on a part of his life, but did he give up on happiness itself? Try thinking about that when you reach the last page."

"You expect me to find these kind of hidden messages in a children's book." Goro said in a dead-panned voice.

"Yes. In a children's book." Akira put down the book. "You would be surprised by the depth of them. At the university, they were my favourite types of literature, actually!"

"I... I never really had a chance to read them so I have no idea what are you talking about." he told Akira light blush spread over his cheeks. "We didn't keep these kind of books at home."

"The library then?" Akira insisted, but quickly regretted digging deeper into the matter. Goro's expression grew bitter, with furrowed brows he tried to find the right words.

"Well... I went there quite a lot." He let out an embarrassed laugh. "To sleep…"

At a certain point in time Goro's life took turn for the worse. It's not like his life was a bed of roses before that, but then he reached a low point. He was ridiculed by his classmates and his life at home was equally bad, if not worse.

So in search of a safe haven, he found libraries. Great hiding places, free, also quiet enough so he could catch up with the hours he'd missed from his sleeping schedule at home.

This life style turned libraries into uncomfortable bedrooms. Sadly, by the time he got there, Goro hardly had any energy for studying, let alone for reading books.

Knowing how nosy Akira could be, he would certainly want to know the details... But the black haired youth just said the following words after a moment of silence:

"I see."

At this, Goro felt irrational frustration welling up in his heart. A conflict between wanting to tell everything and getting past this uncomfortable topic.

"You're not going to ask…?" he blurted, almost disappointed.

"That would be rude. If you want to talk about it, I'll listen. But it must be a sensitive topic and this is why I won't force you to speak." he smiled.

At his response, Goro quickly finished his cocoa and stood up.

"I need a moment." he had told him and escaped toward the restrooms. Pretty big mistake on his part.

The fact that someone figure him out so easily made him nervous. After all, he was the one who sacrificed precious time of his life in order to gain the skills to make perfect deductions and to analyse his surroundings while taking everything into account.

"It's strange…" he muttered to himself as he stood in front of the small mirror. His head was a mess, his thoughts raced witch each other, completely throwing off his sense of priorities, yet at the same time, he felt some kind of inner tranquillity.

It terrified him. Probably more than the photos of brutally murdered people he usually had to sort out.

By some sort of tragic turn, in Goro's world, being understood was the scariest thing he could ever think of.

By the time he returned from the restroom Akira had closed down the café and it seemed he was about to finish cleaning.

"You should've told me that I overstayed my welcome." Goro snapped at him. Not because of anger, but out of shame.

"You did?" Akira tilted his head.

"It's past closing time." he glanced at the clock next to the stairs. "By twenty minutes."

"Well, Leblanc _is_ technically closed." Akira told him like it was the most natural thing to say.

"And don't you want to go home?" _Like any normal person_ , he wanted to add.

"I'm already home." he said matter-of-factly.

"And I'm pretty sure this is a restaurant facility, not a home." Goro was dumbfounded.

His bag was already hanging on his shoulder and he was ready to leave.

"What can I say... Home is where my heart is," Akira laughed, then added with a mischievous tone, like a magician who is about to tell the secret of his trick, "But I'm renting the upper level for real."

Was Akira out of his mind? Goro opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but no words came out. This situation was beyond his grasp. He was also tired. And it was late.

His mind suddenly came up with excuses. Just what kind of place he ended up at?

"Then, I guess, uh, I'll take my leave. For today at least. Good night?"

"Be safe on your way home."

With that Goro made a hasty exit.

He wasn't in the mood for walking, and instead, took the train. Goro was sitting half-asleep when his phone buzzed. At first, he thought it was his boss, probably because he'd managed to forget something, like sending a report.

However after he entered his pass an unknown icon flashed on his screen.

"What the-" he tapped the screen anxiously. The name "Akira" popped up. His avatar was a black cat sitting in a silvery steel pot. The background looked like Leblanc's kitchen.

[Sorry for invading your phone like this. Promise I didn't read anything]

Goro was furious.

《Was this really necessary?》

[You wouldn't give me your mail address otherwise]

《So you take my personal belonging and install an unknown app without my knowledge?》

《How the hell did you even get my lock combination?》

[All for the sake of talking to you, and considering what we are doing right now, I daresay my mission is completed,]

[So forgive me? /_\\]

[As for your lock combination, I memorized it.]

Goro found himself snickering at Akira's message. It's not like his phone had anything important, safe for office related numbers and some of his pictures.

《Insufferable.》

The train arrived to his station, and Goro almost threw away his phone as he tried to hop off before he got stuck until the next stop. But before he slipped his phone back into his bag he'd sent one last message: 《Also _I could_ arrest you for taking away my phone without my permission. You are not off the hook.》


End file.
